Student-training device



L. KUSCH Jan. 9, 1968 STUDENT-TRAINING DEVI CE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 17, 1966 LOTHAR KUSCH I N EN TOR.

By 3611'! Rm Attorney Jan. 9, 1968 L. KUSCH 3,362,088

STUDENT-TRAINING DEVICE Filed March 17, 1966 LOTHAR KUSCH INVENTOR.

Attorney 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 9, 1968 KUSCH STUDENT-TRAiNING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 17, 1966 LOTHAR KUSCH INVENTOR Attomez United States Patent 3,362,088 STUDENT-TRAINING DEVICE Lothar Kusch, Magdeburger Strasse 20, Remscheid, Germany Filed Mar. 17, 1966, Ser. No. 535,066 9 Claims. (Cl. 35-9) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Teaching device in the form of a box subdivided into compartments overlain bya cover which is partially cut away to give access to a portion of a question-and-answer sheet in a first compartment whereby a student may write answers to visible questions on the exposed sheet portion, the oflicial answers being concealed by the cover until the sheet has been transferred to another compartment in which they may be viewed through a window in the cover. The compartments are separated by partitions which prevent the return of any sheet to the first compartment after a viewing of the answers in the last compartment; at the same time, an upstanding detent formation in the first compartment so engages the sheets therein as to inhibit their withdrawal from the box without removal of the cover.

My present invention relates to a testing device for students, adapted to be used either in schools or in a program of disciplined self-education.

The general object of my invention is to provide a device which enables the student to read a set of questions on the first portion of a prepared sheet, to write the answers to those questions on the same sheet portion, and subsequently to verify his answers by inspecting a previously concealed second portion of the sheet while being denied an opportunity to change his own answers upon such verification.

This object is realized, in accordance with my present invention, by the provision of a box normally closed by a cover, this box being subdivided into two or more adjoining compartments each adapted to receive a twoportion sheet of the type described above. The compartments are separated from one another by one or more partitions which do not quite reach the cover, thus allowing the transfer of a sheet from a first compartment to a last compartment, with or without passage through an intermediate further compartment, while preventing the return of a sheet from the last compartment to the first. The cover, which is generally opaque, has a transparent portion above the last compartment through which the heretofore hidden sheet portion, bearing the prepared answers, becomes visible after the transfer has been completed. This cover also has a cutout exposing the first, question-bearing sheet portion; the same cutout also facilitates the transfer of the sheet from the first to an adjoining compartment. To help complete the transfer, the sheet may be provided with a preferably detachable lead strip which can be reached through a slot in the cover above the last compartment and which may subsequently be severed therefrom at an exposed edge of the box underneath the slot.

Suitable detents are provided to prevent the withdrawal of a sheet from any compartment of the box. According to a more specific feature of my invention, at least the first compartment is subdivided into a first and a second section respectively accommodating the aforementioned first and second sheet portions, the subdivision being accomplished by an upstanding formation rising from the bottom of the box to the cover. This formation is preferably a transverse rigid rib of the box which extends partially across the compartment but leaves a passage between the two sections thereof adapted to receive a narrow tab which interconnects the two sheet portions. The presence of this rib, or equivalent detent formation, makes it impossible for the user to pull the concealed second sheet portion into the open without tearing the paper. An extension of this rib, slightly lower and spaced from the cover to give clearance for the displacement of the connecting tab, may similarly subdivide each of the other compartments.

Advantageously, the partitions between the compartments are of generally triangular cross-section with a substantially vertical forward face, thus defining a wedgeshaped profile pointed toward the first compartment to form a ramp guiding the oncoming sheet across the partition into the next compartment. In addition, the underside of the cover may be provided with depending wedge formations which co-operate with these partitions to block the return of the transferred sheet to its starting point.

A device of this description, when used in a classroom, may be provided with a lock which can be opened only by the instructor or some other authorized person after a test has been completed. For home use, in a program of self-teaching, a lock will not be needed as long as the student is self-disciplined enough to refrain from opening the box before completion of the test.

The invention will be described in greater detail in reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a device according to the invention in an open position;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the device of FIG. 1 without its cover;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1, showing a modified device according to this invention;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing the device of FIG. 4 with its cover removed;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line VI-VI of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is still another perspective view similar to FIG. 1, illustrating a further embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a top View similar to FIGS. 2 and 5, relating to the embodiment of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view, but with the cover in place, taken on the line IXIX of FIG. 8.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3 comprises a box 1 and a cover 2. Rising from the bottom 14 of the box 1 are partitions 9a and 9b, with a wedge-shaped profile best seen in FIG. 3, which divide the box into three adjoining compartments A, B, and C. Compartment A, in turn, is subdivided by an unstanding rib 9c into a first and a second section respectively designated 3 and 4; an extension 9d of rib 9c similarly subdivides the other two compartments B and C into sections 5, 6 and 7, 8, respectively.

A sheet S, indicated in dot-dash lines in FIG. 2, comprises two portions 10 and 11 interconnected by a narrow tab 22 which fits into a passage left between compartment sections 3 and 4 by a foreshortening of rib 90. This rib, like the side walls 1a, 1b of the box 1 of which it forms a continuation is higher than the partitions 9a, 9b and the rib extension 9d so as to touch the underside of cover 2 when the latter is closed. Upon such closure, the lower formations 9a, 9b and 9d are spaced from the cover to a sufficient extent to permit passage of a sheet S from compartment A via compartment B to compartment C. Sheet S has a lead strip 23 which is detachably connected with its portion 11 along a scored or perforated line 24 and initially passes through a gap 13 in partition 9a, this strip becoming accessible through a slot 16 in cover 2 when the sheet S has been moved into compartment B. Such movement can be readily carried out by the user since the cover is cut away at 15 above compartment section 3 and this compartment section is also open toward the side of the box. The user may then grip the strip 23 between his fingers and pull it through the slot 16 to advance the sheet into its final position within compartment C. As the slot 16 is open toward the side of the cover, the strip may then be rapidly severed from the sheet S by being bent around an edge 20 of box 1 within a gap separating the side walls 1:: and 1b; as shown in FIGS. 4-6, however, the box wall may also be replaced at this point by a rib forming the cutting edge 21.

The cover 2, whose rim 17 overlaps the box walls 1a and 1b in its closed position, has an opaque portion 2a above compartment sections 4-6 and a transparent portion 2b above compartment C. The underside of this cover is provided with depending wedge-shaped formations 26 which, along with the vertical front faces 12 of the similarly wedge-shaped partitions 9a and 9b, effectively prevent the return of sheet S from compartment B or C to a preceding compartment.

Studs 19 on box 1 and bayonet slots 18 on cover 2 cooperate to hold the receptacle closed during use. A look 25 may be provided which can be opened only by a key in the possession of a supervisor.

In operation, sheet S initially lies in compartment A where its portion is exposed through cutout so that the student can fill in his answers before moving the sheet in the aforedescribed manner into adjacent compartment B and thence into the final compartment C as indicated by the arrow 27 in FIG. 2. Suitable retaining means, such as a rubber band 50 held in notches 51 and 52 of box bottom 14, may be used for releasably holding the sheet in its starting position during the writing of the students answers. The authoritative answers appearing on sheet portion 11 will not become visible until the sheet has reached the compartment C under the transparent cover portion 2b.

In FIGS. 4-6 I have used primed numerals to identify the counterparts of similarly designated elements of the embodiment just described. This second embodiment, wherein in contra-distinction to the previous one of the intermediate compartment has been omitted, has only two compartments A and C respectively constituted by sections 3, 4 and 7, 8. The separation between the two compartments is realized by means of two partitions 9a, 9b, the latter being forwardly offset to provide room for a lead strip 23 which is joined to the sheets S along a perforated line 24' extending over the full length of its portion 11'. In view of this staggering of the partitions the shape of the sheet S has been somewhat modified so that its portion 10 is slightly wider than portion 11. In order that a recall of the transferred sheet from compartment C to compartment A may be effectively prevented in spite of the absence of an intervening compartment, rib portion 9d is formed with two parallel ridges 30 and 31 defining between them a longitudinal recess into which a similar rib 32 on the underside of cover 2 fits with sufficient clearance to permit the tab portion 22' of the sheet to pass through. When this tab portion reaches the front end of rib 32, the inherent resiliency of the paper tends to straighten it out so that a return is blocked.

In the final embodiment of FIGS. 79, in which double primes have been used to designate previously identified elements, a throughgoing single partition 9" separates the first compartment A from the second and last compartment C", the subdivision of each compartment into its two sections 3", 4 and 7", 8" being again effected by a higher rib 9c and a lower extension 9d which is longitudinally recessed, as in the preceding embodiment, to cooperate with a depending ridge 32" on cover 2". An opaque lid 40 is slidably mounted on the underside of cover 2" and can be moved, under the control of an upwardly projecting handle 44, into a first position overlying the compartment section 8" and a second position overlying the compartment section 4". Only in its first position, in which a rib 41 on the underside of lid clears a confronting notch 42 in partition 9", will it be possible to transfer the sheet S" from compartment A" to compartment C as indicated by arrow 43 in FIG. 8. In order to expose the initially obscured sheet portion 11" bearing the prepared answers, the user must shift the lid 40 to its second position above compartment section 4" which can be done only after the sheet has dropped into compartment C beyond retrieve. When the lid 40 is thus withdrawn, sheet member 11" becomes visible via the transparent cover portion.

Other modifications of the various arrangements described and illustrated will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art and are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A testing device for students, comprising a box with a normally closed cover, said box being subdivided into a plurality of adjoining compartments each adapted to receive a sheet divided into a first portion bearing questions and a second portion bearing corresponding answers, the first of said compartments being partly exposed by a cutout in said cover giving access to said first portion of a sheet therein while concealing said second portion thereof, thereby enabling a student to write on said first portion of the sheet, partition means in said box enabling a transfer of the sheet from said first compartment to a last compartment while preventing the return of the sheet to said first compartment, said cover being transparent over an area registering with at least part of said last compartment for making visible said second portion of the sheet so transferred, and detent means in said box preventing withdrawal of the sheet from any compartment thereof in the closed position of said cover, said partition means having a substantially vertical forward face and being of generally triangular profile forming a wedge pointed toward said first compartment.

2. A testing device for students comprising a box with a normally closed cover, said box being subdivided into a plurality of adjoining compartments each adapted to receive a sheet divided into a first portion bearing questions and a second portion bearing corresponding answers, the first of said compartments being partly exposed by a cutout in said cover giving access to said first portion of a sheet therein while concealing said second portion thereof, thereby enabling a student to write on said first portion of the sheet, partition means in said box enabling a transfer of the sheet from said first compartment to a last compartment while preventing the return of the sheet to said first compartment, said cover being transparent over an area registering with at least part of said last compartment for making visible said second portion of the sheet so transferred, and detent means in said box preventing withdrawal of the sheet from any compartment thereof in the closed position of said cover, said means comprising an upstanding formation in said box subdividing at least said first compartment into a first and a second section respectively accommodating said first and said second portion of the sheet, said formation leaving a passage between said sections adapted to receive a narrow tab interconnecting said portions. 3. A device as defined in claim 2 wherein said upstandmg formation is a rib having an extension also subdividing said last compartment into a first and a second section for said first and second portions, respectively, said extension terminating spacedly below said cover.

4. A device as defined in claim 3 wherein said cover is provided with a slot in the region of said extension giving access to a lead strip extending forwardly from the sheet to facilitate its transfer to said last compartment.

5. A device as defined in claim 4 wherein said slot terminates at a side of said cover overlying an edge of said box along which said lead strip can be detached from the sheet.

6. A device as defined in claim 3 wherein said extension is formed with a longitudinal recess facing said cover, the latter being provided with a ridge extending into said recess with sufiicient clearance to permit introduction of the sheet into said last compartment.

7. A device as defined in claim 3, further comprising an opaque lid slidably mounted underneath said cover for movement between a first position above said second section of said last compartment and a second position above said second section of said first compartment, said lid when in said first position obscuring said transparent area while enabling a transfer of the sheet to said last compartment, such transfer being blocked upon removal of said lid to said second position.

8. A device as defined in claim 7 wherein said rib is formed with a transverse gap, said lid being provided on its underside with a ridge fitting into said gap upon its removal to said second position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,169,266 8/1939 Matter 35-9 3,105,307 10/1963 Cornell 359 3,134,177 5/1964 Rozmus 35-8 3,148,457 9/1964 Nicke et al 359 EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner. R. W. WEIG, Assistant Examiner. 

